BARLEY
IN
COLORADO
BY D. W. ROBERTSON, ALVIN KEZER, F. A. COFFMAN, J. F. BRANDON, DWIGHT KOONCE A N D G. W. DEMING
Bulletin 371 December 1930
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATAION
CONCLUSIONS
The barley-growing sections of Colorado can be divided into two general areas-the irrigated and non-irrigated sections. About 29 percent of the barley produced in the state is on irrigated land and about 71 percent is produced under dryland conditions. There are about 310,000 acres of barley grown annually in the state.
There are three localities in Colorado where variety tests with barley are being conducted-Fort Collins, Fort Lewis and Akron.
The Fort Collins station is located in the northcentral part of the state. At this station variety tests are carried under irrigation. The type of soil, elevation and climatic conditions make it fairly represen-tative of the irrigated sections in Northeastern Colorado.
The Fort Lewis farm is located in the southwestern corner of the state in La Plata county. The elevation of the farm is dver 7,000 feet. On this farm grains are tested under irrigation. The eleva-tion and climate make this farm a desirable place to test grains for high-altitude conditions.
The U. S. Dry Land Field Station at Akron, is operated in co-operation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. This station is located in the heart of the dryland section of Northeastern Colorado. In making recommendations for Colorado, one is confronted with various conditions such as rainfall, altitude and length of frost-free season. Any recommendation should be applied only to conditions similar to those found at the various experimental farms and the districts they represent. Various local conditions and demands may make it advisable to deviate slightly from the recommendations.
At Fort Collins, under irrigation, Trebi, Hanna, Colsess and Coast have given the highest yields. Trebi has one serious defect; it lodges badly under irrigation. Hanna, a two-rowed barley, yields well. Colsess yields less than Trebi and does not fill so well, It is well adapted for use as a nurse crop, being early and very stiff-strawed, Several smooth-awned barleys are showing up well. Of these Comfort has given the highest yield to date. Nepal, a hulless barley, does not yield well under Fort Collins conditions.
At Fort Lewis, at an altitude of about 7000 feet, Colsess and Coast have given the best yields of the varieties tested for a 7-year period. 'I'rebi also looks promising as a variety adapted to high alti-tudes. Nepal, a hooded hulless barley, yields 25 percent less than Coast.
On the dryland, barley is one of the most important spring-sown
4 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371
Coast
cereals grown in Colorado. Generally barley outyields oats, and it
often outyields corn in pounds of grain per acre. At Akron early maturing barley varieties have produced the best yields. Later matur-ing varieties occasionally give good results when seasonal precipita-tion is favorable, but on the average the seeding of early varieties is advisable. Of the varieties tested for a long period of years, White Smyrna C. I. No. 2642, Coast and Blackhull have yielded well. Sev-eral varieties tested for shorter periods show promise. Of these Club
Mariout and Flynn have given the best yields. So far, Trebi and C01-sess have not shown up well on the U. S. Dry Land Field Station at Akron.
As a result of the varietal experiments with barley, the following varieties appear to be best adapted, and are recommended for growing in Colorado under conditions similar to those found at the various experimental farms.
Conditions similar to those at Fort Collins-(Irrigated) :
Trebi Coast
Colsess Comfort
Conditions similar to those at Fort Lewis-(High-altitude Irri-gated) :
rrrebi Colsess
Conditions similar to those at Akron->- (Dryland ) :
Club Mariout White Smyrna
Coast Flynn
BARLEY UNDER IRRIGATION.-On the heavier lands if soil-moisture
conditions are good the soil should be prepared by fall plowing. If the soil is dry in the fall, plowing had better be put off until spring. If the spring grain follows beets or potatoes, any fall plowing will necessarily be late. Spring plowing should be done as early as possi-ble.. The plow should be followed immediately by the disk and har-how, The land should be leveled prior to seeding. The object of leveling is to produce a surface of uniform grade in order to help the distribution of water. The usual rate of seeding for barley on irri-gated land is 2 bushels per acre.
In the Northern Colorado districts, it seldom is necessary to "irri-gateIIp " small grains. In the Arkansas Valley, often in the San Luis
Valley and in some western slope localities, natural precipitationisso uncertain that it is necessary to "irrigate up." On the tighter soils where it is necessary to irrigate crops up, the land should be irrigated, then disked, leveled, harrowed and planted as soon as cultivation is
6 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371
in March. The earlier planted barley seems, in fact, to make a better growth and to be less injured by unfavorable seasonal conditions in the valley than late-planted barley.
DRYLAND BARLEY.-Barley is one of the most certain crops for feed purposes grown on the plains. Barley does well on a seedbed prepared by disking and harrowing corn stubble. A slightly higher yield will be obtained from growing barley on summer fallow, but, unless the precipitation is low it does not pay for the extra cost of preparation and the loss of a crop. In some localities fall listing, where the previous crop will permit such treatment, working the list-ing downinthe spring to a seedbed, has been found as successful and cheaper than fall plowing. Results at Akron show little difference between fall and spring plowing as a preparation for barley, How-ever, one should keep in mind the fact that.destroying growing weeds in the fall conserves moisture. Therefore, some fall treatment may be of benefit in areas where the precipitation is low.
TREATMENTOF SEED.-Barley smut is prevalent in Colorado. Both covered and loose smut are found. Some varieties are more suscep-tible than others. The formaldehyde treatment is recommended for barley."
The following method of treatment may be followed:
Clean seed before treatment and pile on a clean floor or canvas. Then sprinkle the grain with formaldehyde solution. Use fresh, stan-dard 40 percent formaldehyde and mix at the rate of 1 pint to 40 gal-lons of water. Use about 1 gallon of this solution to each bushel of seed treated. While sprinkling the solution over the seed the grain should be thoroly shoveled over until each kernel is wet, after which the pile should be covered and allowed to remain so from 2 to 4 hours. Then the treated seed should be uncovered and planted as soon as possible. If seed is to beheld for any length of time after treating, care must be taken that it be dried out thoroly and quickly.
The formaldehyde treatment will only kill the spores on the grain. It will not prevent reinfection. To prevent reinfection, clean, treated bags should be used to take the grain to the field. The drill itself should be disinfected with some of the solution just before starting the seeding operations.
Some automatic or mechanical device can be used very satis-factorily for treating the grain. Several such machines are on the mar-ket. Time and labor can often be saved by their use.
2L. W. Durrell and Waldo Kidder, Smuts of Small Grain and Methods of Con-trol, Colorado Agr. College Ext. eire. 7.
BARLEY
IN COLORADO
By D. W. ROBERTSON, ALVIN KEZER, F. A. COFFMAN, J. F. BRANDON, DWIGHT KOONCE AND G. W. DEMING
The barley-growing sections of Colorado can be divided into two general areas-the irrigated and non-irrigated. An average of about 90,000 acres of barley is sown on irrigated land and about 220,000 acres on dryland. About 29 percent of the barley producedison irri-gated land and about 71 percent is produced under dryland condi-tions.
The 10 counties producing the largest amount of barley" are Weld, Logan, Morgan, Larimer, Washington, Conejos, Kit Carson, Lincoln and Phillips. The 10 counties sowing the largest acreage are Logan, Washington, Weld, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Adams and Larimer. A glance at the map will show that, with the exception of Conejos county in the San Luis Valley, all of the large barley-producing area is east of the Rocky Mountains and much of it is in the dryland section of the state.
HISTORICAL REVIEW
Steinel in his History of Agriculture- refers to some early ac-counts of farming in the Arkansas Valley. At that time reports of 40 and 50-bushel yields of barley are given. In a later report in the Rocky Mountain News for January 19, 1864, Steinel refers to the report of Mr. Me.Auley, who reports thrashing some 17,000 bushels or barley and oats in 1861. Dr. W. R. Thomas reports the yields of bar-ley on farms of the upper Platte to be 66 bushels per acre. It is evi-dent from the reports that quite good yields of barley were being ob-tained under irrigation in the early sixties in various sections of the state.
CIJIMATE
'I'he climate at Fort Collins is suitable for the production of spring barley. The winter months are mild but sufficiently severe to prevent the production of winter barley. In tests conducted at Fort Collins from 1910 to 1917 inclusive it was clearly demonstrated that winter barley is not adapted to Northern Colorado conditions.
RAINFALL
Table 1 gives the rainfall for the years 1918 to 1927 inclusive. The rainfall in 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926 and 1927 was
31927' Colorado Yearbook.
8 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371
adequate early in the season to start the crop and carry it to the time irrigation water could be applied. In 1919 and 1925 the rainfall early in the season was insufficient to start the crop evenly. This was par-ticularly true in 1925 when much of the spring barley had to be "irrigated up" in May, Under the conditions found at the Fort Collins station it is necessary to depend on precipitation to start the crop and carry it to about the middle of May when irrigation water can be applied.
Table I.-Monthly Rainfall at the Colorado, Experiment Station, Ft. Collins, for the
Years 1918 to 1927, Inclusive. 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 January February March April May June July August September October November December Total 0.41 T' 1.05 0.30 0.14 1.65 3.72 0.93 2.95 0.45 1.18 0.19 4.83 0.6-1 1.91 0.61 3.23 2.61 0.71 1.93 0.90 1.22 0.76 0.39 21.79 10.92 0.54 0.96 0.64 0.19 0.14 0.13 3.60 1.63 1.95 2.30 0.60 4.24 0.58 1.34 1.72 2.60 0.60 0.66 0.50 0.53 0.24 0.32 0.54 0.89 11.65 15.79 0.35 0.19 0.51 0.53 1.39 0.54: 0.32 2.74 1.83 2.95 2.18 0.93 0.46 3.60 3.90 1.03 5.72 0.22 0.83 5.26 0.16 0.91 0.69 0.05 0.00 1.28 0.84 0.50 3.08 0.79 1.37 0.10 0.09 0.31 0.25 0.74 9.56 26.48 10.60 0.27 0.25 .04 0.09 0.28 .40 0.58 1.54 1.87 0.05 2.88 2.77 0.95 1.67 .83 1.99 1.66 1.95 1.70 0.71 1.96 1.17 0.76 1.52 1.79 1.01 1.10 3.26 1.00 1.05 0.89 .36 1.00 1.50 .83 .25 14.24 12.95 14.74
Note :-The monthly rainfall for Un8, 1919, and 19~4was obtained from Mr. R. E. Trimble, Assistant Irrigation Investigator. The records for January, February, March, N ovem ber and Decem bel' are also furnished by Mr. Trimble. The records tor the other months were obtained on the experiment station farm. They differ slightly from the United States records for Fort Collins. The difference is due to local showers in the summer. The United States Weather Bureau station is on the college campus, about 1 mile west from the experimental farm.
EARLY WORK AT THE STATION
There seems to have been some doubt in early days regarding the value of barley in Colorado. Prof. W. W. Cook makes the following statement in Bulletin 40 (1897) of the station.
"There is quite a general belief that barley does not do well in Colorado, and this deters many f'rom giving it a fair trial. Barley has been grown on the college farm for many years, and all of the common varieties have been tested for longer or shorter periods. The yields have always been satisfac-tory, and during the later years have been h~ghly successful. When the re-sults are considered in connection with the fact that the college farm is, by na ture, both in the lay of the land and the character of the soil, below the a verage, it is fair to presume, that, if properly handled, harley will give bounteous yields on other fa rrns of the state."
Tests of barley varieties are reported in Bulletin 40 from 1887 to 1896 inclusive. From these tests Prof. Cook draws the
con-December, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 9
elusion that (California) Coast barley is the best adapted for Colo-rado. He states that some of the hulless barleys are well adapted to conditions found in the foothills and mountain parks.
LOCATION OF EXPERIMENTAL FARMS
There are three station farms in Colorado where barley variety tests are being conducted. The central station is located at Fort Collins in the northcentral part of the state. At this station variety tests are carried under irrigation. The type of soil, elevation and climatic con-ditions make it fairly representative of the irrigated sections in the northeastern part of the state.
The Fort Lewis farm is located in the southwestern corner of the state in La Plata county. The elevation of the station is over 7000 feet. At this station grains are tested under irrigation. The eleva-tion and climate make this staeleva-tion a desirable place to test grains for high-altitude conditions.
'I'he United States Dry Land Field Station located at Akron, Colorado, is operated in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Ag-riculture. This station is located in the heart of the plains section of Colorado. 'Pests conducted at this station are under dryland condi-tions.
T'ESTS UNDER IRRIGATION AT FOR,T COLLINS TREATMENT OF PLATs.-The barley variety plats are sown on sum-mer fallow. While this gives results slightly different from farm conditions, it gives a comparative test. Previous work has shown that in order to control weeds and get comparative yields, summer fallow is necessary. In a recent" experiment with Marquis wheat the carry-over effect of irrigation water on the previous crop is clearly shown on the succeeding crop.
IRRIGATloN.-Under Fort Collins conditions usually there is suf-ficient moisture to bring a barley crop to jointing without irrigation. The plats in normal years are irrigated as near jointing as possible. In 1923 sufficient rain fell in the month of June and July to mature crops without irrigation, and no irrigation water was applied. In 1925 the plats had to be "irrigated up" as there was insufficient mois-ture to germinate the crop.
CARE OF GRAIN.-The thrashed grain from the plats is cleaned 5Robertson, D .W. and Kezer, Alvin. Residual Effect of Different Irrigation Treatments on Crops Grown the Succeeding Year. Jour; Am. Soc. Agronomy, Vol. 19, No. 10, October, 1927.
10 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371
and weighed. The bushel weights are determined from the cleaned-grain weights. The probable errors are calculated by the deviation from the mean method." Ten plats of each variety are grown. These plats are scattered over the area so that a random sample may be ob-ta.ined.
TIME AND RATE OF SEEDING AT FORT COLLINs.-Spring barley is planted from April 1 to 20. Good results, however, have been ob-tained from later planting. The usual rate of seeding is 95 pounds per acre for hulled barley and 90 pounds pee acre for hulless barley.
EXPERIMENTAL TIESULTS
VARIETY TESTS 1907 TO1912.-The barley variety tests from 1907
to 1912 were made in single one-tenth acre plats. The results
of
these tests are given in Table 2. Of the varieties grown for the entire 6-year period, ChevalierII and Coast are the highest yielders. Thetwo-Table2.-Barley Varieties Grown at the Colorado Experiment Srtation (Ft. Collins) in
Part or in All of the6Years from 1906 to1911, Inclusive.
Yieldin
Y1eld in Bushels Per Acre§ No.
Percent-Colo. of age of
..Accession C.l. Years Coast
Variety No. No.* 1906 1907 1908 1009 1910 1911 Ave. Grown 2789 Chevalier II 125 200 70.6 50.3 64.1 41.8 17.6 48.1 48.7 6 100.4 Coast 120 2789 86.7 4Q.4 72.7 46.2 19.9 24.4 48.5 6 100 Princess 123 529 68.2 27.1 72.2 46.2 15.6 51.5 46.8 6 96.5 Hanna 116 2788 72.4 37.1 65.9 41.4 14.0 45.6 46.1 6 95.0 Scotch Four Row 121 73.9 38.3 59.2 -W.2 19.7 35.0 45.4 6 93.6 Nepal 595 60.9 53.4 49.7 34.1 15.8 37.3 41.9 6 86.4 Minn. No.105 111 76.6 28.7 66.1 47.7 2.5 25.6 41.2 6 84.9 Telli 113 194 76.2 32.5 55.8 28.7 2.3 45.0 40.1 6 82.7 Silver King 119 890 71.5 27.6 62.4 42.5 2.0 29.8 39.3 6 81.0 Oderbrucker 109 59.7 24.6 62.5 46.4 2.7 28.5 36.6 6 75.4 Blue Hulless 124 596 47.9 41.6 54.8 30.8 0.9 12.5 31.4 6 64.7 Black Hull 118 878 63.5 26.6 44.5 32.1 11.9 6.0 30.8 6 63.5 Ideal Hulless 110 56.4 54.8 48.6 53.3 3 80.0 Wyoming Hulless 129 46.1 52.4 49.3 2 87.1 Ha.nnclien 117 67.3 67.3 1 77.6 White US Smyrna 114 12023 79.3 79.3 1 91.5 Manchuria 138 2783 68.9 48.7 7.6 34.2 39.8 4 95.5 Beardless 135 57.9 31.9 16.8 30.4 34.2 4 83.8 Garton 986 645 50.6 17.8 44.2 37.5 3 124.1 Golden Drop 148 2135 55.4 8.5 43.7 35.9 3 118.9
§Allbushel yields are calculated as48 pounds.
*C. 1.No. Refer to Cereal Investigation U. S. D. A. Bulletin 1334.
aHays, H. K. and Garber, R. J. Breedtng Crops Plants. Second Edition, 1927.
Decem ber, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 11
rowed varieties, Garton's 986 and Golden Drop introduced in 1909, show up well for the short period they were in the test. The highest-yielding six-rowed barley in the 6-year test is Coast and the highest yielding two-rowed harley in the 6-year test is Chevalier II. The results agree well with the conclusions of earlier tests. (Bulletin 40)
BARLEY VARIETY TESTS 1918 TO 1927.-Table 3 gives the results of the barley variety tests at Fort Collins for a 10-year period from 1918 to 1927. At intervals from 1918 to 1927, new varieties have been introduced and tested for varying periods of years. Other varieties have been dropped when they have been tested a sufficient number of years to determine their value. Of the nine varieties which have been in the test for the full 10-year period, Hanna a two-rowed barley has given the highest yield with Coast a close second. Of the new intro-ductions which have been tested for 5 years or more, 'I'rebi has given the best yield. It outyields Coast by 22.76 percent. Several new, smooth-awned varieties which have been tested for 3 years, show
prom-ise. Of these Comfort has given the highest yield.
Of the 15 new introductions which have been tested for 6 years or more, 12 have outyielded the Coast check.
/
"
,
F
F'Ig'. l.-Six-rowed bar-ley,
A B-C=fertile 8pikelets on a sfngle node of the rachis of 6-rowed barley. E = fe,rtile 8pike-Iet8 and D and F-infertile Rpikelets on a.single node of the rachis
12
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bu!. 371 Table 3.-Yield of Barley Varieties at Fort Collins from 1918-1927, Inclusive.Variety C.I.xo. 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 Hanna 2784 73.1±2.D2 59.0±1.72 76.5±1.48 83.1±2.19 82.1±1.80 56.0±1.33 Coast 2785 78.8±3.14 67.5±1.96 81.8±1.59 79.7±2.10 72.4±1.59 69.8±1.66 Gold 1145 65.8±2.77 59.6±1.73 81.8±:1.59 76.9±2.03 71.1±1.56 62.2±1.48 Hanna 2786 61.6±2.46 58.3±1.70 82.0±1.59 76.0±2.01 75.7±1.66 64.4±1.5a Hanna 2787 68.7±2.74 5O.5±1.47 74.6±1.45 75.7±2.00 72.9±1.60 72.8±1.73 Coast 2789 70.0±2.79 58.0±1.68 78.9 ± 1.5.'3 73.3±1.93 70.2±1.54 76.8±1.83 Colsess :IT92 82.S±2.09 53.1±1.00 84.8±1.92 73.1±1.93 73.9±1.62 80.0±1.00 I-Ianna 2788 66.0±2.63 53.8±1.57 75.2±1.46 72A±1.91 68.9 ± 1.51 70.5±1.68 Coast 2790 69.8±2.78 62.9±1.S.'3 7S.0±1.51 72.4±1.91 61.8±1.35 72.3±1.73 Charlottetown 80 2732 67.8±2.70 5O.0±1.45 69.6±1.35 70.8±1.87 64.7±1.42 M.2±J..53 Black H ulless 596 41.8 ± 1.58 49.7±1.43 62.7±1.22 65.9±1.74 76.9±1.68 53.9±1.28 Silver King 890 53.7±2.14 33.7±0.98 6O.0±1.16 64:.5±1.70 71.7 ±1.57 81.1±1.93 Coast 690 69.2±2.76 64.2±1.87 77.9±1.51 63.8±1.68 69.6±1.52 8.'3.3±1.98 Telli 194 53.1±2.12 49.5±1.44 71.3±'1.38 63.6±1.68 78.4±1.72 70.2±1.61 Garton 986 645 59.2±2.36 51.5±1.50 73.9±1.43 6O.5±1.60 49.8±1.09 46.5±1.l1 Chevalier II 200 59.7±2.38 55.9±1.6.'3 76.2±1.48 59.2±1.56 66.5±1.46 56.6±1.35 Horsford 507 32.2±1.28 2S.2±O.82 5O.5±0.98 56.3±;1.49 51.1±1.12 5O.0±1.19 Wing Pedigree 1177 34.8±1.39 27.3±O.79 57.5±1.12 55.6±1.47 52.0±1.14 56.4±1.34 Horsford 1271 35.9±1.51 33.7±1.16 55.2±1.07 50.3±1.3.'3 49.8±1.09
Princess 529 61.7±2.46 45.7±1.3:3 66.2±1.28 54.9±1.45 49.0±1.07 49.2±1.17 Nepal 595 40.0±1.52 44.7±1.30 63.3±1.2:3 47.7±1.20 70.8±1.55 49.4±1.18 Blackhull 878 53.2±2.12 46.9±1.36 51.3±1.00 49.0±1.29 63.0±1.38 66.0±1.57 Coast 2791 6O.1±1.13 78.1±,1.77 65.5±1.73 74.5±1.63 82.0±1.U5
Golden Drop 2135 73.3±1,42 68.5±1.81 56.6±1.24 51.5±1.23
O. A. C. 21 1470 88.6 82.0±1.80 75.5±1.S0
Manchurta 278.'3 S8.4±2.33 77.8±1.70 78.9±1.88
Moister 2799 85.9±3.2'2 86.5±1.89 84.8±2.02
Elfry 2800 81.3±3.05 87.9±1.92 85.3±2.03
Canada Thorpe 740 8O.1±2.11 90.8±1.99 68.8±1.G4
Samofa 1211 SO.1±3.00 75.3±1.65 79.9±1.90 Ma nchu rln 2330 77.3±2.90 SO.5±1.76 66.9±1.59 l\finsturdi 1556 76.9±2.88 68.4±1.50 74.5±1.77 Sva nso ta 1907 73.0±2.74 80.2±1.76 64.8±1.54-Lion 92"J 69.8±2.62 S.'3.2±1.82 81.1±1.93 Bark 2793 47.0±1.24 89.0±1.95 53.7±1.28 Hannchen 531 76.2 8O.9±1.77 63.1±1.50 Trebi 936 75.3±1.65 90.0±2.14 Mariout 59.4±1.41 Club Mariout
wnuo Smyrna 2&!2 I-Iimalaya 620
Velvet I\'linn. 447 B'lack 6 Row Comfort Minn. 451 Faust
December, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO
13
Table 3.-Yield of Bar-ley Varieties at Fort Collins rrorn 1918-1927, Inclusive.
Variety 1924 1925 1926 1927
Percentage Years of Coast Total Grown Average 27~
Hanna Coast Gold llanna IIanna Coast Colsess lIanna Coast Charlottetown 80 Black Hulless Silver King Coast Telli Garton 986 Chevalier II Horsford Wing Pedigree Horsford Princess Nepal Blackhull Coast Golden Drop O. A. C. 21 Manchuria Moister Elfry Canada Thorpe Samofa Manchuria Mlnsturdi Svansota Lion Bark Ha nnchen Trebi_ Mariout Club ·l\1ariout. "-"Vhite Smyrna Himalaya Velvet Minn. 447 Black 6 Row Comfort Minn. 451 Faust 75.9±2.31 48.9±1.49 59.5±1.81 49.4±1.51 60.1±1.83 62.6±1.91 57.4±1.75 61.1± 1.86 6O.4±1.84 01.0±1.86 51.2±1.56 55.0±1.GS 6O.2±1.84 58.9±1.80 6O.9±1.86 66.3±2.02 62.0±1.89 64.3±1.96 57.3±1.75 5O.5±1.54 62.2±1.90 44.2±1.35 62.1±1.89 75.7±2.31 43.0±1.31 62.9±1.92 71.7±2.H) 39.0±1.19 65.6±2.00 42.0±1.2S 76.8±2.34 60.9±1.86 72.6±1.94 6+.7±1.73 75.8±2.02 52.8±1.41 66.1±1.76 69.6±1.86 54.4±1.45 60.0±1.60 70.7±1.89 64.4±1.72 46.9±1.25 54.6±1.46 72.8±1.94 GO.5±1.62 67.0±1.79 66.4±1.77 71.2±1.90 69.1±1.84 6O.7±1.62 60.5±1.62 67.9±1.S1 59.8±1.60 6S.0±1.82 75.6±2.02 72.8±1.94 73.0±1.95 74.3±1.98 62.2±1.66 58.9±1.57 70.6±1.8S 64.4±1.72 62.5±1.67 56.3±1.5{) 71.2±l.nO 82.H±1.90 76.7±1.37 82.4±1.54 74.1±1.32 78.0±1.39 SS.2±1.57 68.3±1.45 87.7±1.56 86.0±1.53 71.9±1.28 60.9±1.14 67.9±1.Z7 89.6±1.68 72.2±1.29 91.5 ±'1.71 98..0± 1.74 78.7±1.47 S3.9±1.57 fls'3±2.08 78.3±1.39 90.9±1.62 64.0±1.20 933±1.66 85.1±1.59 90.6±1.61 90.9±1.70 8S.9±1.76 64.3±1.14 78.8±1.56 74.0±1.47 70.9±1.26 80.2±1.43 GS.l±1.21 93.6±1.85 69.1±1.33 64.2±1.23 58.2±1.12 73.3±1.41 70.6±1.36 63.9±1.23 71.8±1.38 76.4±1.47 51.3±0.98 71.5±1.37 81.6 ± 1.57 79.2±1.52 72.3±1.39 78.8±1.51 84-.3± 1.62 74.3±1.43 72.4±1.39 72.5±1.39 SG.8±1.67 76.7±1,47 65.1±1.25 66.5±1.34-78.3±1.50 61.4±1.24 77.7±1.49 69.1±1.33 730.0 704.5 693.3 418.0 415.2 427.2 697.3 681.6 417.2 671.4 531.0 645.3 428.0 679.6 341.4 571.4 427.3 283.6 224.9 326.7 544.7 329.4 6M.3 441.5 547.1 555.0 54:1.4 550.6 5-10.3 424.6 445.7 387.8 515.7 542.9 396.1 519.5 487.0 224.9 214,4 275.3 243.8 297.8 2-1-6.7 242.5 69.1 10 10 10 6 6 6 10 10 6 10 9 10 6 10 6 9 9 6 5 6 10 6 9 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 7 7 6 7 6 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 1 73.0±0.61 70.1±0.58 69.3±O.58 69.7±0.78 69.2±0.77 71.2±0.80 69.7±O.52 68.2±0.57 69.5±O.78 67.1±0.56 59.0±0.54 64.5±0.53 71.3±1.80 68.0±0.56 56.9±0.64 63.5±O.57 47.5±0,43 47.3±0.53 45.0±0.60 54:.5±0.61 54.5±0,45 54.9±0.61 72.7±0.57 63.1±O.57 78.2±0.76 79.3±O.72 77.3±O.76 78.7±0.78 77.2±0.72 70.8±0.79 74.3±0.82 64.6±0.72 73.7±0.73 77.6±0.77 66.0±0.67 74.2±O.72 Sl.2±0.SO 56.2±0.71 71.5±O.91 6S.S±0.85 61.0±O.74 74.5±0.90 G1.7±0.75 8O.S±l.O:3 69.1±1.:3:3 103.62 100.00 98.37 92.S~ 92.27 94.93 98.9S 96.75 92.71 95.30 82.93 91.60 95.11 96.47 75.S7 89.24 66.73 63.02 59.15 72.60 77.32 73.20 104.57 89.37 114.84 116.50 113.64 115.58 113.41 103.01 lOS.13 94.08 108.25 113.96 96.09 109.05 122.76 86.47 104:.28 108.17 95.S0 117.01 96.94 117.95 107.63
14
COLOR.ADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 3'71Fig. 2.-Grain ofOolses-s showing hood.
\
\J..
1
'·(
\ " ~ " ,'" ~,,\;\
:\\
,\ ,:" ,"
\"SIX-Ro"VED BARLEys.-Under irrigation in Colorado six-rowed barleys are the most commonly grown. This type of barley has three single-flowered spikelets, at each node of the rachis, which are fertile .. Fig. 1. This arrangement of florets produces a head or spike with six rows of florets, three on each side of the rachis. The common six-rowed barleys have two types of appendages to the lemmas, awns or hoods. The awned barleys have a long appendage extending from the tip of the lemma. The awns may either be barbed or smooth. Coast is a typical example of a rough-awned barley. The hooded barleys have a hood in place of the awn. Colsess"is a typical example of the latter type. Fig. 2.
The following six-rowed barleys are being tested at Fort Collins: Coast, Colsess, Silver King, Telli, Nepal, O. A. C. 21, Manchuria, Moister, Elfry, Lion, Trebi, Club Mariout, Himalaya, Velvet, Black 6Row, Comfort and Faust.
The highest-yielding six-rowed barley tested for 6 years or more is Trebi. Two smooth-awned barleys show up well for a 3-year period. Of these Comfort gives the high-est yield. Of the hooded six-rowed barleys Colsess has given the best yield.
Two-RowED BARLEYS.-rrwo-rowed bar-leys differ from six-rowed barbar-leys. They have three florets on each joint of the rachis but on-Iy the middle one is fertile and produces seed. See Fig. 1. This type of arrangement gives two rows of fertile florets, one on each side of the rachis. The two-rowed barleys may be either awned or hooded. All of the com-mercial varieties of two-rowed barleys grown in Colorado are awned.
The following two-rowed barleys are be-ing tested at Fort Collins; Hanna, Gold, Charlottetown 80, Chevalier II, Canada Thorpe and White Smyrna. Of the variet-ies of two-rowed barleys tested at the station, Hanna C. T. No. 2784 has given the highest yields.
HULLESS BARLEy.-Hulless barleys differ f'rom hulled barley by having the hull
December, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 15
ma and palea) free of the grain. In thrashing, the hulless varieties thrash clean, leaving the kernel without the hull. Of the hulless bar-leys, Black Hulless and Nepal have given the better yields of the va-rieties tested for 5 years or more. However, they yield sufficiently low to make their recommendation over hulled barleys questionable.
Table 4.-Agronomic Data Showing Length of Straw in Inches at Fort Collins 1920-27, Inclusive.
C.I.No. 1920 1921 1922 1923 19-"24 1925 1926 1927 Total Ave.
2784 Hanna 34.2 38.0 35.4 4D.8 34.1 32.3 38.7 35.5 289 36 27'85 Coast 33.3 36.7 34.2 39.5 32.3 30.5 35.7 33.5 276 35 1145 Gold 32.4 34.9 32.6 37.0 31.1 28.4 37.0 31.4 265 33 2786 Hanna 34.2 34.7 34.8 39.5 143 36 2187 Hanna 34.6 37.9 33.9 40.8 141 37 2789 Coast 33.1 37.1 33.1 37.6 141 35 2792 Colsess 39.1 34.8 39.5 32.5 30.4 3.5.0 36.0 247 35 2788 Hanna 32.8 36.1 34.7 38.1 33.1 31.2 37.6 35.6 280 35 2790 Coast 32.8 37.9 33.0 39.3 143 36 2732 Charlottetown SO 3-1.8 39.1 35.3 37.5 33.9 32.3 39.5 34.6 287 36 596 Black Hulless 32.7 37.4 35.3 35.3 34.0 28.6 34.4 238 34 890 Silver King 37.3 43.2 39.7 44.7 31.3 32.3 41.7 42.5 319 40 690 Coast 33.9 38.7 34.8 38.4 146 37 194 Telli 32.5 36.2 33.5 38.0 32.0 29.S 37.0 34.6 274 34 645 Garton 986 34.6 35.6 32.4 40.7 143 36 200 Chevalier II 34.5 36.1 31.5 40.7 34.5 30.4 39.2 247 35 507 Horsford 39.3 44.0 40.1 44.9 40.1 34.0 41.4 284 41 1177 Wing Pedigre~ 39.7 45.1 40.8 45.5 171 43 1271 Horsford 38.8 45.0 41.5 125 42 529 Princess 36.9 39.0 35.0 39.7 151 38 595 Nepal 33.9 37.0 34.9 38.8 34.7 29.6 37.0 36.3 282 35 878 Blackhnll 27.9 33.4 28.5 34.2 124 31 2191 Coast 38.8 34.7 37.5 339 30.5 36.2 33.7 245 35 2135 Golden Drop 34.9 37.4 33.5 42.8 33.2 29.6 39.2 251 36 1470 O. A. C. No. 21 39.1 44.3 38.5 33.6 41.4 42.2 239 40 2783 Manchuria 44.5 40.4 43.2 38.7 33.7 41.2 42.0 284 41 2799 Moister 40.0 36.2 39.2 34.7 29.8 35.3 35.9 251 36 2800 Elfry 37.0 34.9 36.7 33.3 28.2 33.4 34.6 238 34 740 Canada Thorpe 40.9 38.7 44.9 35.0 31.9 45.1 41.5 278 40 1211 Samofa 41.0 37.2 40.9 33.5 31.2 37.4 221 3'7 2330 Manchu r in 44.0 38.8 45.4 38.3 33.S 42.3 243 40 153G Minstl)lful 3S,.O 35.0 39.1 33.9 30.0 34.8 211 35 1907 Svansota 41.0 39.6 40.7 35.7 33.2 43.2 40.7 274 39 923 Lion 39.0 33.3 37.5 32.0 28.0 33.9 34.7 238 34 2793 Bark 34.0 33.7 40.8 31.7 27.1 41.1 208 35 531 Hannchen 35.5 39.9 31.6 26.4 38.S 35.7 208 35 936 Trebi 33.2 36.7 30.9 28.6 33.7 35.3 198 33 Mariout 26.9 20.0 21.1 22.6 91 23 Club Mariout 26.2 29.6 29.1 85 28 2642 White Smyrna 26.2 24.9 29.2 29.0 109 27 620 Himalaya 28..9 29.5 31.3 32.4 1~2 31 Velvet Minn. 447 37.5 33.5 43.0 43.1 157 39 Black 6 Row 30.3 Z7.9 33.5 33.3 125 31 Comfort Minn. 451 36.9 41.6 43.3 122 41 Faust 35.4 35 35
16 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371
AGRONOMIC DATA
The agronomic data for the barley varieties tested at Fort Col-lins are given in the following tables. The length of straw in inches is given in Table 4. The length of straw varies slightly in different seasons, the difference, however, being slight. All of the varieties with the exception of Blackhull, Mariout, Club Mariout, White Smyr-na, Himalaya and Black 6 Row average well over 30 inches in length. Blackhull, Mariout and Black 6 Row are short-strawed barleys not adapted to irrigated conditions.
STRENGTH OF STRAw.-Data are taken each year on the degree of lodging. These data are of value especially on heavy, fertile soil and under irrigation. Large losses both in yield and time are often in-curred by growing weak-strawed varieties. The data on strength of straw are given in 'I'able 5.
The letters in the different columns represent the degree of lodg-ing. S=stiff strawed. Me--medium stiff straw and L==:lodged. The numbers give the number of plats in the different groups. It will be noticed in the summary at the end of the table that of the better-yielding varieties, Trebi has a weak straw. Coast has a weak straw. Colsess has a stiff straw.
DISEASE RESISTANcE.-Several varieties have proved susceptible to stripe disease (Helminthdsporium gramineum. Rabh). The fol-lowing varieties were heavily infected in the years 1920, 1923, 1925 and 1926: Gold C. I. No. 1145, Horsford ·C. I. No. 507, Silver King C. I. No. 890, O. A. C. No. 21, C. I. No. 1470, Minsturdi C. I. No. 1556, Svansota C. I. No. 1907 and Coast C. I. No. 2785. The follow-ing varieties showed slight infection 2 dr more years out of the ~! years, 1920, 1923, 1925 and 1926: Coast C. I. No. 2789, Colsess C. I. No. 2792, Coast C. I. No. 2790, Charlottetown No. 80, C. I. No. 2732, Coast C. I. No. 690, Telli, C. I. No. 194, Blackhull C. I. No. 878, Coast C. I. No. 2791, Manchuria C. I. No. 2783 and Black 6 Row, rrhis dis-ease undoubtedly cuts down the yield as badly infected plants seldom produce seed. Heavy infections do not occur every year but in fav-orable years for the development of the disease the susceptible vari-eties are reduced in yield.
DAYS TO l\1ATURE.-The number of days from planting to matur-ity are given in Table 6. All of the varieties which take longer than 115 days to mature have been dropped from the test as unsuitable.
SUlVIMARy.-Tests of barley varieties have been carried on the experiment station farm at Fort Collins for a 10-year period from 1918 to 1927 inclusive. Table 7 presents the data on the highest-yielding varieties of six-rowed awned, six-rowed hooded, six-rowed hulless and two-rowed barleys.
""'>I"ii1jTe~<- A':gron'ottl'fc-:r:,.fi"t'!F'-;Sli'O'WrfFg-~engNf"-"-Or,-·..St'rifw'·"a-~·Ft·;,--·C"1flTf'n8,-1:92U'.:'1U27~ 1921 1.922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 Ave. s M L S M L S M L S M L S M L S M L S M L 2784 Hanna 10 10 10 10 1 9 10 10 W 2785 Coast 3 7 3 7 2 8 10 1 4 5 1 1 8 10 W+ 1145 Gold 10 2 8 10 10 5 1 4 3 7 10 W+ 2786 Hanna -1 9 2 8 10 W 2757 Hanna 2 4 4 1 9 10 W+ 2789 Coast 4 6 1 5 4 2 8 W+ '2792 Colsess 10 4 4 2 6 2 2 10 9 1 10 3 7 S 2788 Hanna 3 7 1 9 2 8 10 4 2 4 1 9 10 W+ 2790 Coast 2 1 7 6 4 5 5 M 2732 Charlottetown 80 2 1 7 2 8 4 2 4 10 5 1 4 4 6 10 M-596 Black Hulless 4 2 4 2 7 1 9 10 6 2 2 2 8 M 890 Silver King 7 2 1 4 5 1 5 4 1 10 10 5 5 9 1 S-690 Coast 2 4 4 3 7 1 9 W+ 194 Telli 2 :) 3 10 3 7 10 1 9 1 9 2 8 W+ 645 Garton 986 10 10 10 W 200 Chevalier II 10 10 10 10 3 1 6 10 W 507 Horsford 3 2 5 10 1 9 10 2 6 2 1 4 5 M-1177 Wing Pedigree 3 7 10 3 7 W+ 1211 Horsford 10 10 W 529 Princess 6 4 1 e 3 10 W+ 595 Nepal 4 3 3 7 3 10 10 1 6 3 2 {) 3 10 M-878 Blackhull 10 9 1 10 S 2791 Coast 8 2 5 5 10 10 1 9 10 8 2 M-2135 Golden Drop 1 1 8 10 1 9 10 5 5 10 W+ :1470 O. A. C. No. 21 1 4 5 10 10 V 1 5 5 5 5
M+
2783 Manchuria 2 7 1 7 3 3 7 10 7 2 1 1 7 2 e 5 M+ 2799 Moister 1 4 2 1 7 3 1 6 10 3 6 1 10 10 M-2800 Elfry 1 2 2 1 7 2 7 1 2 10 10 10 7 2 S-740 Canada Thorpe 10 9 1 10 10 10 9 1 3 3 S 1211 Samofa 3 2 6 4 10 10 10 10 S-2330 Manchuria 4 1 1 7 2 10 10 9 1 6 4 S-1556 Minsturdi 5 4 6 10 10 8 2 10 S 1907 Svansota 5 4 6 10 10 10 3 4 3 2 SM+
923 Lion 5 10 1 9 10 10 1 3 6 1 9W+
2793 Bark 10 10 4 1 {) 10 10 10 S 531 Hannchen 10 10 10 6 1 3 4 6 10 W+ 936 Trebi 1 2 7 10 10 10 2 8 10 M-Mariout 10 10 10 10 S Club Mariout 10 4 3 3 10 M 2642 White Smyrna 10 ~ 8 10 10 M-620 Himalaya 10 10 8 2 6 1 s-Velvet Minn. 447 10 10 2 7 1 8 2 S-Black 6 Row 10 10 10 1) 5 S Comfort Minn. 451 3, 7 1 6 3 10W+
18 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE But 371 Table 7 shows that Trebi, while outyielding the Coast check by a greater amount than the other varieties, is weak strawed and often lodges. Colsess is a stiff-strawed, high-yielding, hooded barley. Due to its stiff-strawed nature it is recommended as a nurse crop for
alf-alfa and red clover. Nepal is not well adapted to conditions found at Table G.-Agronomic Data Showing Number of Days to Mature-Barley Test at
Fort Collins 1921-27, Inclusive.
C.l. Ave-No. 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 rage 2784 Hanna 124 122 106 108 129 1M 81 111 2785 Coast 120 116 103 105 122 97 74 105 1145 Gold 125 123 lOO 112 134 105 82 113 2786 Hanna 124 121 106 117 2787 Hanna 124 120 105 116 2789 Coast 119 116 103 113 2792 Colsess 118 116 103 104 120 96 73 104 2788 Hanna 124 119 105 108 128 103 81 110 2790 Coast 118 113 103 111 2732 Charlotte-town 80 11a 123 107 110 132 100 82 110 596 Black Hulless 118 114 104 100 121 98 109 890 Silver King 120 116 104 106 122 99 74 106 690 Coast 125 116 103 115 191 Telli 123 117 104 106 12n 101 73 108 645 Garton 986 127 126 106 120 200 Chevalier II 125 127 105 111 138 1% 11V 507 Horsford 118 115 103 104 122 96 110
U77 Wing Pedigree U8 114 103 112
1271 Horsford 118 114 116 529 Princess 126 125 107 119 595 Nepal 118 119 103 105 12"2 99 74 100 878 Blackhull 118 112 103 111 2791 Coast 120 116 100 106 ]24 99 73 106 2135 Golden Drop 126 126 106 111 137 107 119 1470 o.A.C. No. Z1 116 104 106 123 99 74 104 2783 Manchuria 119 118 104 106 124 99 74 1()l~ 2799 Moister 120 119 103 103 120 99 74 105 2800 Elfry 122 117 ]03 103 122 101 74 106 740 Canada Thorpe 110 125 110 103 135 104 84- 112 1211 Samofa 1]9 115 103 103 122 97 110 2330 Manch uria 120 116 ]04 106 122 99 111 1556 Mlnst urdl 118 113 103 103 122 95 IOU 1907 SfVansota 126 125 107 107 1Z7 99 81 110 923 Lion 124 116 103 105 121 100 75 100 2793 B'ark 132 128 115 117 110 100 11»
531 Hanncben 120 105 111 131 lOS 81 IOU
936 Trebi 104 104 107 125 100 74 102 Mar-lout 98 99 118 94 102 Club Mariout 120 99 71 97 2642 White Smyrna 106 123 94 71 W 620 Himalaya 103 118 94 71 97 Velvet Minn. 447 106 125 101 74 102 Black 6 Row 104 120 96 74 HD Comfort Minn. 451 124 103 75 101 Faust 74 74
20 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 37t lands are about 5 miles south of Hesperus. The experimental farm is. on bench land in the old bottom of theLa Plata river. The land slopes to the southeast toward the river. The soil is a dark loam underlaid by gravel at a depth of 2 to 15 feet below the surface. The slope of the land is rather steep which causes some difficulty in irrigation. Small heads of water must be used. The furrow type of irrigation is necessary for both grain and rowed crops.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
'I'he spring opens late due to the higher altitude and heavy winter snows. The normal frost-free period is between 90 to 100 days. Table 8 gives the dates of the last killing frosts in the spring, the first kill-ing frosts in the fall and the frost-free period for the years 1923 to 1926, inclusive. Table 8. Year 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 Last Killing Frost 6/20 6/19 6/12 5/14 6/3 First Killing Frost 9/19 '9/12 9/14 9/29 9/28 Frost-Free Period 91 85 94 136 117 PRECIPITATION
The rainfall is well distributed thruout the year, Table 9. The rainfall during the growing season, April to July, was low in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Under normal conditions there is sufficient moisture stored in the soil with the addition of a normal rainfall to carry spring grain crops to the time irrigation water is available.
Table 9.-Precipitation at Fort Lewis from 1921-1927, Inclusive.
Month 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 January .11 1.07 1.32 .34 .14 040 .15 February .13 1.31 .65 043 T .39 4.29 l\farch 1.36 1.38 .79 4.77 1.13 .54 1.31 April .60 .52 .85 2.00 Al 3.58 .53 May .64 .89 .63 .15 .76 2.87 .60 June .45 .30 .14 .00 2.05 .14 3.05 July 3.07 .88 2.09 1.85 3.87 2.1.4 1.85 August 3.38 .92 5.44 .52 3.2"2 .76 3.31 September .28 .54 1.85 1.38 3.44 2.17 6.26 October 1.08 .21 .38 1.13 2.95 .85 2.06 November .27 2.65 .38 .05 .32 .60 1.15 December 1.74 1.68 1.85 1.79 1.03 1.54 1.60 Total 13.11 12.35 16.37 14.41 19.32 15.98 26.16
December, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 21
IRRIGATION
The furrow method of irrigation is used because of the steep slopes. The soil is shallow. It is necessary to supplement the rain-fall with two or more irrigations.
METHOD OF CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS
The plats are replicated. The grain is cut and dried under cover for about 3 weeks. Then it is thrashed and weighed. The date of planting varies slightly. The average is about the last week in April.
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
Both six-rowed and two-rowed barleys have been tested at Fort Lewis for the 7-year period from 1921 to' 1927 inclusive. Six vari-eties have been tested for the entire period. The yields of all the bar-leys tested at Fort Lewis are given in Table No. "10.
Of the six varieties. tested for a 7-year period, Colsess has given the highest yield with Coast, C. I. No. 2791, a close second. Trebi in a 3-year test, out yielded both Colsess and Coast. Nepal a six-rowed hulless barley, has yielded less than Coast.
Table to.-Barley Yields at Fort Lewis Sub-Station 1921-1927, Inclusive. Average Yield in Bushels Per Acre.
Variety C.l. 1921* 1922 1923 1924 192.5 No. Coast 2791 48.1±2.39 67.5±2.24 81.6±2.6Z 62.6±2.17 89.0±3.25 Colsess 2792 84.2±4.18 68.4±2.27 65.8±2.11 58.9±2.04 83.2±3.03 Chevalier II 200 77.7±3.85 72.5±2.41 70.8±2.27 45.5±1.57 81.6±2.99 Moister 2799 70.8±2.35 48.6±1.56 53.8±1.86 83.2±3.03 Gold 1145 76.9±3.81 52.2 ±11.73 72.4±2.32 49.3±1.71 72.7±2.66 O.A.C. No. 21 1470 G4.8±2.15 6O.0±1.93 49.8±1.73 6O.1±2.19 Success 507 51.8±2.56 55.3±1.84 64.5±2.07 50.7±1.75 47.7±1.75 Nepal 595 30.2±1.50 57.4±1.91 53.6±1.72 41.6±1.44 61.9±2.26
Trehi 936 106.9±3.90
·PJats replicated 4 times in 1921. Plats replicated 10 times in 1922 to 1927, Inc. Table lO.-Barley Yields at Fort Lewis Sub-Station 1921-1927, Inclusive.
Average Yield in Bushels Per Acre.
Percent-Variety C.1. 1926 1927 Total Ave. Years age of
No. Grown Coast
Coast 2791 67.3±2.11 92.4±2.32 508.5 72.6±O.97 7 100. Colsess 2792 70.2±2.20 83.7±2.10 514.4 73.5±O.98 7 101.24 Chevalier II 200 57.7±1.81 74.1±1.86 479.9 68.6±O.92 7 94.49 Moister 2799 61.0±1.91 6G.7±1.67 384.1 64.0±O.86 6 83.44 Gold 1145 49.7±1.56 52.3±1.31 425.5 60.8±0.S1 7 83.75 O.A.C. No. 21 1470 52.0±1.63 72.5±1.82 359.2 59.9±0.79 6 78.10 Success 507 39.1±1.54 67.2±1.69 376.6 53.8±0.72 7 74.10 Nepal 595 49.3±1.54 76.1±1.91 370.1 52.9±0.71 7 72.87 Trebi 936 8O.6±2.52 103.3±2.59 290.8 96.9±1.75 3 116.89 Velvet 68.0±2.13 85.2±2.14 153.3 76.7±1.54 2 96.06
22
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371Table 11 summarizes the data for the different types of barley tested.
Tahlell.-Summarized Data for Five Barley Varieties Tested at Fort Lewis. Yield
Days to Years Percentage
Type Variety Mature Straw Grown Coast
Six-Ro'wed Hulled Awned Coast 107 M§ 7 100 Trebi 108 M 3 117 Six-Rowed Hulled Hooded Colsess 103 S 7 101 Six-Rowed Hulless Hooded Nepal 1M W 7 73 Two-Rowed Hulled Awned Cbevali.erII 113 W 7 94
§M=Medium Stiff. S--Stiff. W=Lodged.
The agronomic data are given in Tables 12, 13 and 14. All of the varieties tested have a straw averaging 30 inches or over under Fort Lewis conditions. Chevalier II and Gold, two-rowed barleys, take longer to mature than the other barleys tested. Three of the harley varieties grown are weaker in the straw than the others. Two of those, Nepal and Success, are also low in yield.
Table12.-Length of StrawinInches of the Varieties Grown at Fort Lewis. Years Grown Variety 1921 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 Ave. Coast 37 28 31 36.4 28.4 39.8 33.4 Colsess 37 Z1 30 37.2 30.8 35.4 32.9 Chevalier II 33.2 28 30 37.4 28.6 36.8 32.3 Moister 28 30 37.2 27 37 31.~ Gold 31.5 26 25 35.1 25.8 36 29.9 O. A. C. 21 30 34 42.9 3.'3.6 40 36.1 Success 38.5 31 34 39.6 31 38.8 35.5 Nepal 35 31 30 35.5 28.6 36.8 32.8 Trebl 35.6 28.4 31.8 31.!) Velvet 35.8 41 . 38.4
Table 13.-Num ber of Days from Planting to Maturtty of Barley Varieties Grown at Fort Lewis
Varieties 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 Ave. Coast 105 101 121 108 105 106 106 107 Colsess 105 101 106 96 104- 106 105 103 Chevalier II 113 114 125 108 111 109 111 113 Moister 101 121 102 104 100 107 106 Gold 113 114 114 109 111 110 111 112 O. A. C. No. 21 101 114 102 102 106 107 105 Suceess 105 101 107 97 103 101 104 lOa Nepal 105 111 107 101 110 108 107 107 Trebi 111 107 107 108 Velvet 106 107 107
Decem ber, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 23
Table 14.-Strengtb of Straw of Varieties Tested at Fort Lewis for a Period of 3 Years from 1925 to 1927, Inclusive.
Varieties 1925 1926 1927 Average Coast M 9 W M+ Colsess S- S S S-Chevalier II M- s- W W+ Moister M- S- S- M Gold S S S S-O. A. C. No. 21 S S S S-Success W M M+ M Nepal W M+ M- M-Trebi W S S- M Velvet S M+ S-SUMMARY
Under conditions similar to those found at Fort Lewis the fol-lowing barley varieties give the better yields:
Trebi Colsess
Of the hulless barleys Nepal yields well.
Coast
BARLEY EXPERIMENTS ON DRYLAND
By F. A. CoFFMAN,J. F.BRANDONANDD. W. RoBEBTSON9
Barleyisequal in importance to any spring-sown cereal grown on Colorado dryland. In the dryland districts barley is used exclusively as a feed crop andismostly fed on the farms where grown. .AB a re-sult, its market value is usually a matter of minor importance, the total amount of feed produced being the important consideration. Barley matures slightly earlier than other spring cereals. In many seasons the earliest varieties mature fully as early as winter wheat. The early maturity of the crop often enables it to escape drouths which injure seriously other crops.
Investigations with barley have been conducted at the U. S. Dry
911'. A. Coffman, Associate Agronomist was in charge of the experiments of the Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry,U. S. Department of Agriculture at the Akron Field Station, Akron. Colorado from JUly, 1917, to August. 1924. Since August, 1924, the work has been carried by J. F. Brandon, Supt. of the
U. S. Dry Land Field Station and D. W. Robertson, Associate Agronomist at the Colorado Experiment Station.
24 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul.3'71
I.J3Jld Field Station;" ..Akron, Colorado, during the past 20 years. These experiments were conducted wholly on dryland. The data obtained are believed to be generally applicable not only to nearly all dryland sections of Colorado, but to adjacent portions of Western Kansas, Southwestern Nebraska, and Southern Wyoming.
The experiments consisted chiefly of varietal and method-of-seeding investigations and the improvement of barley by selection. The objects of the experiments were (1) to determine the best vari-eties and strains of barley for the district, (2) to improve varivari-eties by breeding, and (3) to determine the best practices for barley produc-tion.
This bulletin reports only the results of the barley varietal' exper-iments. For those desiring complete data on barley experiments at Akron, Colorado, other publications'" are available.
LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATION
The U. S. Dry Land Field Station is located about 4 and one-half miles from Akron, Colorado, the county seat of Washington county. The station farm contains about 382 acres. Three hundred fifteen acres are owned by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, and the rest by the Office of Dry Land Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
SOIL
The soil of the farm is variable in texture and is slightly rolling. It is a naturally fertile, sandy loam locally called "hard land." It differs from the so-called "soft land" in that it is less sandy in nature. Like most soils of Eastern Colorado it is comparatively free from coarse gravel.
10The Akron Field Station, Akron, Colo., is operated by the Office of Dry Land Agriculture Investigations of the U. S'. D. A. with the Colorado Agricultural College cooperating. The cereal experiments were conducted by the office of Cereal Crops and Diseases in cooperation with the office named, from 19CY7 until 1924, when' they were discontinned. The experirue nts were begun in 1907. Wilson G. Shelley was in charge f'rom March 1, 1908 until February 28, 1011; Clyde McKee from that date until February 15, 1913; Charles If. Clark, from about February 15, until July 1., 1913, George A.. :McJ\furdo from July 1, 1913 until February, 1917; F. A. Coff-man from July, 1917 until the work was discontinued at the close of the crop sea-son of 1924. .I. F. Brandon, Supt. of Ole U. S. Dry Land Field Station and D. W. Robertson, Associate Agronomist at the Colorado Experiment Station have carried the work since August, 1924.
11McMurdo, George ...A... Cereal Experiments at the Akron Field Station, Akron. Colorado, U. So Dept. Agr. Bul. 420, 34 p., 11 fig. 1916.
Coffman, F. A. The Minimum Temperature of Germ lnatto n of Seeds. In Journal American Society of Agronomy, Vol. 15, No.7, p. 257-270, July, 1923.
Coffman, Franklin A. Experiments With Cereals at the Akron Field Station in Colorado. U. S. Dept. Ag r. B'uI. 1287.
Ha rlan. Ha rry V., Ma ry L. l\1artini, Merr-itt N. Pope. Tests of Barley Varieties in America; U. S. Dept. Ag r. Bul. 1334.
Brandon, .I. F. Crop Rotation and Cultural Methods at the Akron (Colorado) Field Station, U. S. Dept. Agr. Dept. Bul. No. 1304.
26 COLORADO ..A..GRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bu!. 371 Table 16.-Annual and Average Precipitation, Evaporatiou, Ratio of Evaporation to
Rainfall, Date of Last Spring and First Fall Frosts, and the Length of the Frost-Free Period at the Akron, Colorado Field Station from
1908 to 1927, Inclusive.
Seasonal (Apr.-Sept. Tncl.) Frost Date Days in
Year Ratio Pree. Last First Frost-Free
Precipitation Evaporation to Evap. Spring Autumn Period
1008 11.31 44.936 1:3.91 May 7 Sept. 25 141 1909 16.13 42.353 1 :2.6.'3 May 16 Oct. 3* 140 1910 16.40 43.621 1:2.66 May 16*· Sept. 25 132 1911 10.30 48.818 1:4.74 May 10 Oct. 7* 150 1912 15.78 37.696 1 :2.39 May 13 Sept. 20 130 1913 10.05 42.960 1:4.27 May 3 Sept. 19 139 1914 11.95 41.863 1:3.50 May 12 Sept. 13 124 191,5 19.44 33.550 1 :1.73 May 20 Oct. 4 137 1916 10.77 47.166 1:4.38 May 16 Sept. 14 121 1917 14.80 42.709 1:2.89 May 11 Oct. 8 150 1918 16.81 41.422 1 :2.46 May 11 Oct. 23 165 1919 10.67 47.232 1 :4.43 Juu04 Oct. 4 122 1920 18.12 40.912 1 :2.26 ~lay15 Sept. 29 137 1921 9.15 45.003 1 :5.02 May 7 Oct. 1 147 19Z-2 13.55 4.4.579 1 :3.29 April 28 Oct. 7 162 1923 13.95 41.429 1 :2.97 May 15 Slept. 28 136 1924 10.44 47.872 1:4.58 ~Iny14 Oct. 13§ 152 1925 8.92 47.290 1:5.30 April 30 Oct. 8 161 1926 17.62 44.366 1 :2.52 ApJiI 25 Sept. 24 152 1927 16.5:3 40.429 1:2.44 May 10 Sept. 26 139
A.verage 13.6.'3 43.355 1:3.42 May 11 Sept. 29 14-2
*First frost occurred after this date when record ended. ·*Temperature of 320 F. recorded June 9, but probably no frost.
§Temperature of 310 F. recorded Sept. 21, only killing the more tender vegetation.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
The climatic conditions at Akron are" similar to those of other parts of Eastern Colorado. The nature and distribution of the pre-cipitation are often limiting factors in crop production. Occasionally injury from frost, low winter temperatures or hail, cause serious crop losses. Tables 15 and 16 present seasonal and annual climatic data at the Akron Field Station during the 20 years, 1908 to 1927.
The average annual precipitation at the Akron Field Station, dur-ing these 20 years, has been approximately 18 inches, of which more than 13 inches have been received during the months of April to Sep-tember. Usually the period of greatest precipitation has been from April 1 to June 10. The distribution is important since high correla-tion exists between crop yields and the amount of rainfall received during the latter part of May and the first 10 days of June. Dur-ing this period barley usually reaches the headDur-ing stage, a period of high water requirement.
The records show the average annual wind velocity to be between 6 and 7 miles an hour. The highest monthly velocities usually
oe-D~ember, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO
27
cur in March, April and May. During July and August the atmos-phere is generally comparatively quiet. Hot winds are almost un-known at Akron. The nights are cool the year round. While winter temperatures are often low, they are not as low as in many other parts of the Great Plains. The summer temperatures at Akron usual-ly are mild, due to the elevation, about 4,500 feet above sea level. The
average frost-free period has been about 142 days. Evaporation rec-ords from a free water surface show an average evaporation from April 1 to September 30, inclusive, of approximately 43 inches. This is more than three times the average concurrent precipitation. This emphasizes the need for careful moisture conservation.
EXPERIMENTAL ~IETHODS
SOIL PREPARATION.-Most of the earlier experiments conducted. at the Akron Station were sown on summer fallow. Beginning in 1917, the varieties of all cereal crops were sown in quadruplicate plats, twa on fallow and t~TO on corn land. Data on each variety thus are available on two soil preparations each season.
No definite method of maintaining the fallow was followed. Us-ually the stubble of the previous season's crop remained undisturbed over winter. In the spring the soil was plowed to a depth of from 5 to 7 inches, altho in a few seasons the plowing was omitted and the soil simply double disked. During the summer the fallow was main-tained in a weed-free condition by the use of the disk or spring-tooth harrow or a duck-foot cultivator. Usually, in preparing the fallow for seeding barley, the ground was disked in the early spring previ-ous to seeding time and later smoothed with the spike-tooth harrow.
In preparing the land for corn preceding barley the small grain stubble of the previous season was allowed to remain on the ground over winter. In the spring the ground was usually double disked. About the middle of May the corn was listed on the entire area, the rows running across the plats later to be sown to barley. During the summer, the land was cultivated 3 to 5 times to keep down weed growth and to prevent the soil from baking. In the fall, the corn was husked from the standing stalks, which were allowed to stand until early the following spring, when they were disked into the ground. As a rule, little remains of a stalk field in Northeastern Colorado after the windstorms of winter and early spring. It appears prob-able that disking the stalks into the soil did not greatly influence the crop results one way or the other.
SIZE AND REPLICATION OF PLATs.-During the early years of the
Akron Field Station, single tenth-acre plats were grown of each va-riety, check plats being included at regular intervals. The plats were
Table 17.-Annual and Average' Yields of 38 Barley Varieties and Strains Grown at the Akron Field Station, Akron, Colo., During the 2O-Year Period from 1908 to 1927, Inclusive, Together with the Average Departure from the Yield of Coast C. 1. No.690.1
Group and Variety
\ 1918 1919 1920 1921 C. 1. No. 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 Two-row hulled: Blackhull 878 25.4 20.1 23.8 5.8 26.6 25.4 42.9 77.1 19.7 19.9 11.0 12.9 14.5 16.2 Blackhull 2087 15.2 Hanna 24 23.5 12.9 43.1 j1.8.3 40.7 72.2 Hanna 203 34.2 22.2 27.9 14.3 39.7 28.1 42.5 70.5 20.9 10.4 4.2 7.4 Hannchen 531 47.8 20.7 28.2 lOA 52.0 22.3 52.7 Hannchen 602 Hannchen (Sel. 21) 602 Horn 926 Orel 351 14.9 7.5 9.7 37.5 14.9 Orel 2190 57.3 32.0 42.5 73.3 Primus 532 32.3 2.3 17.9 6.6 42.1 White Smyrna 195 20.3 19.6 12.2 11.0 26.1 17.7 Wbite Smyrna 658 27.5 35.8 20.4 70.4 80.9 19.7 Wh'ite Smyrna 2080 65.1 21.1 73.3 75.7 White Smyrna 2642 86.0 23.9 17.1 13.7 10.3 28.5 18.2 White Smyrna (Sel. 02WS) 2642 White Smyrna (Sel. 05WSI) 2642 White Smyrna (Sel. 013WS) 2642 White Smyrna (Sel. 09WS) 2642 Two-rowed naked: Baku 7092 27.7 6.8 9.1 5.8 8.5 18.9 15.1 Six-rowed covered: Beldi 190 Calif. Mariout 2241 Club Mariout 261 Coast 690 38.6 32.8 25.6 16.7 38.5 22.5 ~9.3 79.1 20.8 17.8 8.1 10.2 28.0 20.8 Composite 1147 21.6 1:4.5 66.0 14.8 Flynn 1311
Horsford 877 31.~ Z'2.a :tl.2 7.9 30.0 16.5 2'4.0 8.8 11.1 5.2 ~.6 17.u 18.8 Manchuria 244 21.5 18.4 15.2 34.6 Z5.4 40.0 Meloy 1176 Nakano Wase 754- 5.5 4.4 Sandra! 937 Colsesa 2792 Elfry 2800 Trebi 936 Moister 2799 Arequipa 1256 Six-rowed naked; Himalaya 6202 15.3 Nepal 5952 25.1 25.8 19.4 0.6 18.8 6.8 41.6 56.0 7.0 7.2 3.0 7.2 19.7 13.3
1Previous to 1917 the barley plats were grown largely on fallow. Beginning in 1017, the varieties have been grown in duplicate plats 011
fallow and on corn land.
Table17.-Annual and Average Yields .of 38 Barley Varieties and Strains Grown at the Akron Field Station, Akron, Colo., During the 2O-Year Period from 1908 to 1927, Inclusive, Togetber with the Average Dep arture from the Yield of Coast C. I. N0.690.1
Difference Average Years Average Coast Percent- from
1908- 19~'3- com- Variety C. 1. 690 age of 'Coast in Group and Variety C.1. No. 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1927 1927 pared named Same yrs. Coast percent Two-row hulled: Blackhull 878 27.1 38.8 6.2 12.1 0.7 28.8 22.8 17.3 2() 22.8 26.0 87.7 -12.3 Blackbull 2087 1 15.2 20.8 73.1 -26.9 I:-Ianna 24 6 35.1 40.3 87.1 -12.9 Hanna 203 12 26.9 30.8 87.3 -12.7 Hannchen 531 2G.6 8 32.6 32.6 100.0 ± 0.0 Hanncben 602 13.5 1 13.5 22.7 59.5 -40.5 Hanncben (Sel. 21) 602 28.2 1 28.2 26.5 106.4 + 6.4 lIorn 926 25.~ 1 25.1 26.5 94.7 - 5.3 Orel 351 14.4 6 16.5 17.9 92.2 - 7.~ Orel 2190 4 51.3 49.9 102.8 + 2.8 Primus 532 5 20.2 32.5 62.2 -37.8 White Smyrna 195 23.6 22.3 4.9 10.7 10 16.8 17.5 96.0 - 4.0 'Vhite Stmyrna 658 6 42.5 39.5 107.6 + 7.6 Wh ite Smyrna 2080 4 58.6 49.9 117.8 +17.8 'Vhite Smyrna 2642 26.2 31.0 6.3 8.7 0.9 Z7.3 14.8 13 22.9 22.1 103.6 + 3.6 'Vhite Smyrna (Sel.02WS) 2642 26.9 2.9 8.6 0.9 23.5 e- 12.6 5 12.6 15.9 79.2 -20.8 'Vhite Smyrna (Sel. 05WS) 2642 5.5 11.2 1.8 35.2 4 13.4 13.2 101.5 + 1.5 "'hite Smyrna (Sel. 013"\","8) 2642 31.5 6.6 12.0 1.2 31.6 16.6 5 16.6 15.9 104.4 + 4,4 White Smyrna (Sel.09WS) 2642 5.5 12.0 1.4 34.4 4 13.3 13.2 100.8 + 0.8 Two-rowed naked : .Baku 7092 11.8 8 13.0 21.1 61.6 -38.4 Six-rowed covered: Beldi 190 24.1 1 24.1 26.5 90.9 - 9.1 Calif. Mariout 2241 33.6 3.9 8.1 1.5 16.4 ]2.7 5 12.7 15.9 79.9 -20.1
Club Mariout 261 37.5 8.8 10.5 0.5 33.0 18.0 5 18.0 15.9 113.2 +13.2 Coast 690 22.7 26.5 9.1 11.3 1.1 31.4 26.0 15.9 20 26.0 2fl.0 100. ± 0.0 Composite 1147 4 36.7 45.4 80.8 -19.2 Flynn 1311 34.7 9.0 10.0 1.5 31.5 17.3 5 17.3 15.9 108.8 + 8.8 Horsford 877 16.4 14 16.8 25.9 64.9 -35.1 Manchuria 244 6 25.9 32.6 79.4 -20.6 Meloy 1176 23.1 1 23.1 26.5 87.2 -12.8 Nakano Wase 754 2 5.0 9.2 54.3 -45.7 Sandral 937 30.2 9.8 2 20.0 17.8 112.4 +12,4 Colsess 2792 2.6 6.8 0.9 26.5 4 9.2 13.2 69.7 -30.3 Elfry 2800 11.7 0.9 31.4 3 14.7 14.6 100.7 + 0.7 Trebi 936 0.5 21.9 2 11.2 16.3 68.7 -31.3 -Moister 2799 29.0 1 29.0 31.4 92.3 - 7.7 Arequipa 1256 35.4 1 35.4 31.4 112.7 +12.7 Six-rowed naked: Himalaya 6022 16.1 24.0 3.5 0.9 28.9 6 14.8 18.6 79.6 -20.4 Nepal 5952 13.0 15 17.6 29.4 59.9 -40.1
32
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bu1. 3'718 rods long by 2 rods wide, separated by alleys 4 or 5 feet in width. Since 1917 four systematically replicated plats have been sown to each variety. With less important varieties sometimes only two plats were sown, one on each soil preparation. Replication eliminated the need for check plats. With an increase in number, the size of plats was reduced to a plat 8 rods by 6 feet wide, separated by alleys 16 inches in width. Plats of such dimension contain one fifty-fifth of an acre. Since the plants draw considerable moisture and plant food from the alleys it seems fair to consider the area as one-fiftieth of an acre when computing yields, altho the actual size is slightly less.
DATES AND RATES OF SEEDING.-From the experiments conducted at the Akron Field Station from 1908 to 1927 inclusive, it appears that the best seeding rate for barley in the section in which the sta-tion is located, is at least 4 pecks per acre. In some seasons, as in 1923, seeding rates of 5pecks per acre have given favorable results. In general farm practice in the section surrounding the Akron Sta-tion, the seeding rate is commonly about 4 pecks.
Climatic conditions in Eastern Colorado are generally favorable for seeding barley during the latter part of March or the first part of April. The climatic records indicate that any delay in seeding spring cereals after the early part of April is not advisable, as the chances against favorable weather for seeding operations increase as the month of April advances. The early maturity of barley, however, often enables the crop to mature nearly as early as other spring grains, even when sown considerably later, and when the farmer has been unable to seed spring wheat or oats during the most favorable seeding per-iod, he can resort to barley and still obtain a rea-sonable return from his land.
EXPERIMENTAL R,ESULTS
Forty-five varieties and strains of barley were grown in the field varietal experiments at Akron during the 20 years covered by this bulletin. Hundreds of other varieties and selections were grown in the nursery experiments. Of the barleys included in the field experi-ments, only two varieties have been grown in all years, and hut three varieties were grown continuously during the period 1917 to 1927 inclusive. The yields of 39 varieties are shown in Table 17, from which are omitted seven varieties which were grown but 1 or 2 years previous to 1917.
High yields of barley were harvested in 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1923 and 1927. Fair yields of the better varieties were obtained in 1913, 1916, 1920, 1921 and 1922. During the other years
D~E'mber, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 33
very small yields or almost complete failures resulted. Much of this variation in annual yield was the result of fluctuations in seasonal moisture conditions. In 1925 the barley variety test was damaged by cutworms,
The data show that awned barleys have nearly always out-yielded awnless or hooded varieties. The highest-yielding varieties include both six-rowed and two-rowed types. Among the six-rowed varieties Coast, C. I. No. 690, has been the leader, producing the highest aver-age yield of any variety grown for a long period. Coast was grown during the entire period of the experiments and is used as a check in measuring the relative values of new varieties. White Smyrna, C. I. No. 2642, yielded best among the two-rowed varieties grown for a period of years sufficiently long to indicate relative values. The earli-ness of these two varieties has enabled them to escape injury from drought to a considerable extent. This probably determined their better yields. Blackhull, C. I. No. 878, is the only two-rowed variety which has been grown in all years. The yield of this variety has not been as high as that of White Smyrna, C. I. No. 2642. Later-maturing varieties such as Orel yielded best in seasons of exceptional precipita-tion, but not especially well in less favorable years. The yields of Hanna and Hannchen also were usually favorable only in seasons when precipitation was abundant. Horsford, Primus and Manchuria apparently are too late in maturity to be of value in the dry-farmed sections of Eastern Colorado.
The yields of the naked varieties, Nepal, Baku and Himalaya (Guy Mayle or Blue Hulless) have been less than those of hulled va-rieties. Baku has yielded nearly as well as SOUle of the hulled vari-eties in SOUle years, but never as well as the best hulled varivari-eties. Baku and Himalaya are both early in maturing, but Nepal is too late to be of value. Of these three naked varieties, Nepal and Baku can-not be recommended for seeding on dryland in Northeastern Colorado. The value of Himalaya, as compared with the better-yielding hulled varieties, is doubtful.
Table 18 presents data on dates of heading and maturity, height of plant, test weight of grain and the average yield of grain and straw of the leading varieties of the different groups which have been grown for the longest periods during these experiments.
A number of varieties and strains were included in 1923 for the first time in the experiments at Akron. 'I'he 5-year average from 192:J to 1927 indicates that some of these varieties are of value on the dryland. Of these, Club Mariout gives the highest yield. Several selections of White Smyrna also give promise. Flynn, a smooth-awned
34 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bu!. 311
six-rowed barley, yields practically as high as Club Mariout. Col-sess and Trebi do not yield so well as some of the other varieties tested at Akron. 'I'he data show that any barley to be of value over a series of years at Akron must be early maturing. 'Phis character is posses-sed by Club Mariout and Flynn.
Table 18.-Average Agronomic Data Record on the Leading Barley Varieties Grown Itt
Akron Field Station for the 16- Year Period 1908 to 1923, Inclusive.
Acre Yield
Group and C.1. Dates of Height Bu. Grain Straw
Variety No. Heading Maturity Inches wt. lbs. bus. lbs. Two-Rowed Hulled: Blackhull 878 6/17 7/12 Z7 46 25.5 1601 Six-Rowed Hulled: Coast 690 6/24 7/17 Z'I 34 29.3 1730 Six-Rowed Naked: Nepal· 595 6/28 7/21 2{) 52 17.6 1619
*Average of 15 years, not grown in 1923. Yield computed on basis of 48 pounds per bushel.
FALLOW VERSUS CORN LAND FOR BARLEY
The yields obtained from growing barley varieties
em
fallow and corn land are shown in Table 19. Table 20 presents the average agro-nomic data recorded on 4 varieties of barley grown on both of the two soil preparations. All of the varieties included in Table 19 were grown during the period 1917 to 1927, inclusive. When grown on corn land they averaged 15.0 bushels, and on fallow, 19.8 bushels per acre. The highest average yield was produced on fallow, but the dif-ference between the two soil preparations, 4.8 bushels, is too small to pay for the cost of the fallow and the loss of crop during the fallow year. The additional expense in growing barley on fallow requires an average return of at least twice that which was secured from the crop when grown on corn land. The fallow did not even approach this figure. On fallow during the Tl-year period from 1917 to 1927, inclusive, the highest average yield, 22.0 bushels, was produced by Smyrna, C. I. No. 2642. On corn land all varieties yielded at about the same rate.SUMMARY
Barley is one of the most important spring-sown cereals for dry-land in Colorado. Generally barley outyields oats. It often outyields corn in pounds of grain per acre.
At Akron only early maturing barley varieties have produced favorable yields. Later-maturing varieties occasionally give good re-sults when seasonal precipitation is favorable, but on the average the
'tablei9.-Annuai and Average Yield of Three Barley 'Varieties Grown on Fallow and on Corn Land at the Akron Field Station During the 11-Year Period from 1917 to 1927, Inclusive.
Group and Variety C. I. No. 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 17-27 17-22
Fallow Average Two-Rowed Hulled: Blackhull 878 21.2 14.7 18.4 15.0 14.8 31.8 42.9 7.0 13.6 1.3 36.6 19.8 19.:~ White Smyrna 195 23.9 15.3 15.4 23.2 18.6 27.8 25.7 7.2 14.1 20.7 White Smyrna 2642 20.1 18.5 13.0 29.3 18.6 32.3 36.5 5.1 10.5 2.3 35.8 20.2 22.0 Six-Rowed Hulled: Coast 690 18.6 8.7 9.3 32.3 21.1) 29.9 25.7 9.3 13.6 1.8 43.8 19.5 20.1 Two-Rowed Naked: Baku 709 11.8 7.5 12.3 19.3 15.1 14.8 13.5 Six-Rowed Naked: Nepal 595 9.1 3.1 9.7 16.7 17.0 15.6 11.9 Corn Land Two-Rowed Hulled: Blackhull 878 18.6 7.8 7.4 14.0 17.7 22.4 ::H.6 5.4 11.5 0.4 28.8 15.3 14.6 Wblte Smyrna 195 15.2 9.1 6.6 29.1 16.8 19.5 18.9 5.4 7.3 16.1 White Smyrna 2642 14.0 8.9 7.5 26.7 17.8 20.1 25.5 4.7 6.8 0.3 27.3 14.5 15.8 Six-Rowed Hulled: Coast 690 16.9 2.5 10.9 23.7 19.7 15.6 2H.5 8.8 8.9 0.8 31.4 15.1 1:5.7 Two-Rowed Naked: Baku 709 6.5 4.2 4.8 18.6 1G.1 8.9 9.7 Six-Rowed Naked: Nepal 595 5.3 2.9 4.7 22.8 9.6 lOA 9.3
36
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Bul. 371 Table2O.-Average Agronomic Data Recorded on Four Varieties of Barley Grown on.Fallow and on Corn Land at the Akron Field Station During the 7- Year Period from 1917 to 1923, Inclusive.
Acre Yield
Group and C.l. Dates of Height Bu. Grain
Straw-Variety No. IIeading Maturity Inches wt. lbs. bus. lbs. Grown on Fallow Two-Rowed Hulled: Blackhull 878 6/15 7/11 26 45 22.7 1584-White Smyrna 195 6/23 7/13 28 43 21.4 1639 White Smyrna 2642 6/22 7/13 24 43 24.0 1685 Six-Rowed Hulled: Coast 690 6/21 7/14 28 34 20.9 1766
Grown on Corn Land Two-Rowed Hulled: Blackhull 878 6/17 7/11 24 44 17.4 1225 White Smyrna 195 6/22 7/13 21 48 16.5 1188 White Smyrna 2642 6/23 7/13 21 43 17.2 1135-Six-Rowed Hulled: Coast 690 6/22 7/14 ~ 37 17.3 10M
seeding of early varieties is advisable. Among the early maturing varieties White Smyrna, C. I. No. 2642, has given the most favorable results. Coast and Blackhull, C. I. No. 878, also have yielded welL Objections, however, may be made to all of these varieties. Smyrna has a very short, weak straw, is subject to smut, and often is difficult to harvest. Coast is objectionable due to the persistence and harsh-ness of its awns, and blackhull because of its color. Selections have been made from Coast and Smyrna in an attempt to secure early ma-turing, high-yielding strains having suitable straw and other char-acters.
During the past few years a number of new barley varieties and selections, notably Club Mariout, have shown considerable promise. At Akron neither awnless, hooded, nor naked barley has yielded as well as have the awned, hulled varieties.
The seeding of barley on fallow has not given sufficient increase-in yield to justify the added expense. Barley sown on disked corn ground as early in the spring as climatic conditions will permit, is advised. Seed should be sown at the rate of at least 4 pecks per acre.
DESCRIPTION OF BARLEY VARIETIES
COAST is a six-rowed bearded barley. The head is slightly lax.
The awns are heavy, coarse, rough and persistent. These qualities make it hard to handle and render the straw undesirable as a feed. The awn is tough, which makes it hard to thrash from the grain. The
December, 1930 BARLEY IN COLORADO 37
grain is bluish green in color. Synonyms: California Feed, Bay Brewing and Blue.
TREBI is described by Harlan, Martini and Pope'" as a pure-line selection made in 1907 in the cooperative breeding experiments con-ducted by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station at St. Paul, Minn. It is a six-rowed. bearded, hulled barley with heads very similar to those of Coast. Under Colorado conditions (irrigated) the kernels are large and blu-ish in color. The straw is weak. In thrashing the awns break off from the glume more easily than those of the Coast variety.
COLSESS1 3 is a hooded six-rowed harley of hybrid origin. It was produced from a cross between Coast and Success. The grain is hulled • and of a bluish green color. The straw and glume color is light yellow. The heads are more compact and darker in color than those of Success. The rachis is rather tough and the head does nat shatter easily. The rachilla is covered with short hairs and the outer glume is hairy. The straw is very stiff and it stands up well under irri-gation.
NEPAL is a hooded, hulless six-rowed barley. It has a light-colored grain which thrashes free f'rom the hull. This barley is weak in the straw and it often lodges. It is grown as a hay crop in the higher altitudes. Synonyms: Bald, White Hull-less, U. S. 12709.
WHITE S'MYRNA is a two-rowed, awned barley. The straw is very short, and the head seldom fully emerges but usually remains about half enclosed in the boot. The awn is partly rough. Synonym: Smyrna.
CLUB MARIOUT is a six-rowed, hulled and awned barley. The grain is light in color. The awns are stiff and the head is rather dense. The straw is short. This variety matures early under Colorado con-ditions. The rachilla has long straight hairs. Synonym: Mariout.
FLYNN is described by Harlan, Martini and Pope as a six-rowed smooth-awned hybrid. It came from a cross (Club Mariout x Lion.) This barley has shown up well on the dryland station at Akron. Its smooth-awned character makes it a desirable barley.
l~Harlan, H. V., Martini, 1'.1. L. and Pope, 1'.1. 1'.1. Tests of Barley Varieties in America, U. S. D. A. Dept. Bu!. 1334.
